Oratory Competition CICAE - UCJC

Oratory, the art of elevating the thought.

The Public Speaking Tournament represents a pioneering initiative by CICAE, aimed at fostering public speaking skills and confidence among primary and secondary school students. This project offers a rich learning experience for both educators and participants, featuring a comprehensive program of in-person and online training sessions.

The response from our partner schools has been very positive, with 28 schools participating in this first l edition, with 60 teams and more than 600 students.

Aimed at students in 5th and 6th grade of primary school and 1st and 2nd of ESO, organized in two categories, they can compete either in English or Spanish.

STAGES OF THE TOURNAMENT

In the
first phase of the tournament
Each school makes a preliminary selection and proposes a maximum of 30 students per category (15 per team, with each school presenting a maximum of 2 teams per category). Students submit a video to the academic committee, with a speech on an age-appropriate topic (previously chosen by the organization). Then, the academic committee selects the students (4 per team, if 2 teams are enrolled). teamsThere will be 8 students selected per category) who will move on to the on-site phase.

The second phase consists of a face-to-face tournament, divided into two parts: a preliminary qualifying round and the final.

A - PRELIMINARY STAGE - consists of 4 tests

1ª Declamation of a historical speech. 30 days before the tournament, students will be given 5 historical speeches. students will be given 5 historical speeches.

2nd Speech on a free theme.

3rd Improvisation.. The speaker is given a word 6 minutes before starting his speech (love, friendship, empathy, family, work…) and has to improvise his 3-minute speech.

4ª Argumentative discourse. 30 days prior to the tournament, students will be given a list of 5 current topics. The total score of the team will be obtained from

The total score of the team will be obtained from the sum of points obtained by each of the 4 speakers in the aforementioned 4 tests (10 per test, maximum per team 160 points).

FINAL STAGE

The six top-ranked teams after the qualifying rounds will advance to the tournament final.

Teams will be given a topic 15 minutes before their turn to prepare the final speech, which they must present collaboratively and sequentially. Teams will have the option of delivering their speech in English or Spanish.

Each team will have a total of 6 minutes for their speech, ensuring that each member speaks at least once for a minimum of 30 seconds.

After the speeches, the judges will evaluate and determine the winning team, the runner-up and the third place team.

TRAINING, ITS MAIN VALUE

The primary objective of the tournament is to provide comprehensive training in public speaking and communication skills.. To this end, students will be part up to 8 training days where they will learn the best communication and public speaking techniques with the help of the best professionals.

In addition, teachers receive training and tools to help their students acquire self-confidence in their presentations, nerve management skills, and communication resources to improve their interventions. This expert training provides teachers with valuable knowledge and strategies to support the development of their students.

In addition, a key aspect of the training programme is the feedback loop provided to students after each tournament. This feedback serves as a valuable tool to increase students’ confidence and skills, allowing them to continually improve and grow throughout the tournament.

THE MAIN OBJECTIVES

Acquiring self-confidence from an early ageInstilling self-confidence, which will result in students being able to address an audience with confidence and face different communicative situations. These skills will be very useful throughout their academic life and in their future projects.

Cultivate critical thinking: Through structured interventions and research on age-appropriate topics, students will develop their reasoning and critical thinking skills. This process will allow them to critically analyze information, form informed opinions and express themselves articulately.

Enriching experiences
The tournament provides students with an extracurricular experience that allows them to interact with peers who share similar interests and concerns, fostering motivation and contributing to personal satisfaction and growth.